Railway coupler operating device



Jan. 3, 1950 w. J. TANGERMAN v RAILWAY COUPLER OPERATING DEVICE Filed May 15, 1946 MIMI v INVENTOR. WzZ/Aam JfCZ/EQG/WZQE,

Patented Jan. 3, 1950 RAILWAY COUPLER OPERATING DEVICE William J. Tangerman, Hammond, Ind., assignor to Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application May 15,1946, Serial No. 669,880

Thisinvention relates to railway car coupler operating mechanisms, operable from the side of the car, and the principal object of the invention is to provide an operating rod having a handle at its outer end, said outer end being substantially non-rotatably supported'by a bracket on the end of a car when said handle is in substantially vertical position, and having means at its inner end for attachment to the lock lifter of a carcoupler so that upon rotation of said rod said lock lifter is swung to raise the coupler lock and thereby operate the coupler.

Another object of the invention is to so form the handle end of the rod relative to the supporting bracket so that, when in substantiallyvertical position swinging of the handle, due to service movements of the car, sufiiciently to rotate the rod and thereby operate the coupler is practically eliminated, but when the handle is operated in the usual way by a trainman the structural relationship of the rod and bracket is such as to ofier practically no resistance to said usual operation of the device by a trainman.

Another object of the invention is to form the rod and bracket so that when the handle is released by a trainman after operating the coupler the handle will return by gravity to substantially vertical non-rotatably supported position.

The desirability of substantially non-rotatably supporting a coupler operating rod when the handle thereof is in substantially vertical position has been recognized in the prior art, but in those instances of which applicant is aware, it is necessary for the handle to be operatedin a manner peculiar to the specific operating device with which used, whereas with applicants device, insofar as the trainman isconcerned, the handle is swung manually in exactly the same manner as are the handles of the most commonly used coupler operating devices. v

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a typical application of my invention to a railway car.

. 9 Claims. (o1.213-170) modification wherein the coupler operating rod 2 is operatively attached to the lock lifter 3 of the coupler 4 so that upon rotation of the rod the lock lifter operates the lock of the coupler.

The handle 6 is provided at the outer end of the operating rod; that is, adjacent the side I of the car, which handle is provided with a hook portion 8 engageable with the member 9 fixed to the car to substantially prevent accidental rotation of the rod clue to service movements of the car When so engaged. (See Fig. 2.) The hook portion 8 is provided with an inclined surface I l arranged so that swinging movement of the handle 5 by an operator slightly raises the operating Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 show the handle of the operating rod illustrated in Fig. 1 in the several operative positions hereinafter described.

Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 show a modifiedoperating rod handle in several operative positions hereinafter described.

Fig. 10 is a detail of the operating rod supportrod and disengages the hook portion 8 from the member 9, (see Fig. 3), thus allowing the handle to be swung to rotate the operating rod to operate the coupler. (See Fig. 4.)

The outer part of the operating rod 2 is preferably supported by the hook portion 8 resting upon said member 9 when handle '6 is in substantially vertical position but I also provide a bracket 13 which is mounted upon the car, which bracket retains a journal portion of the operating rod adjacent the handle in a predetermined position so that the rod is actually rotatably guided by said bracket l3 because when the operating rod is raised by the elevation of the hook portion 8 the operating rod 2 actually engages and is supported by the bracket l3 during the swinging movement of the handle. (Se Fig. 4.)

The operating handle 6 is also provided with another inclined surface i4 adapted to engage said member 9 upon return of the handle to sub stantially vertical position and so as to raise said handle and rod and guide said hook portion 8 into engagement with the member 8. (See Fig. 5.)

In the modification shown in Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 the operating rod handle 2i! is provided with a member or protuberance 2!, which member is formed with an upwardly inclined under surface 22 which functions the same as the inclined surface II heretofore described and another inclined under surface 23 which functions the same as inclined surface It heretofore described in the modifications shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive. In this groupof drawings Fig. 6 shows the operating rod with member 2| resting upon the member 8; Fig. 7 shows the operating rod handle having been raised by the inclined surface 22; Fig. 8 shows the operating rod handle being swung to operate the coupler and Fig. 9 shows the operating handle returning to substantially vertical position with the inclined surface 23 engaging the member 9 and about to raise the operating handle.

3 In both modifications it will be understood that when the coupler head moves. longitudinally rand/or laterally of the car the angular relationferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim: 1

1. A car coupler operating mechanism comprising a member fixed to the car, a guiding bracket fixed to the car, an operating rod mounted in said guiding bracket for rotating and vertical movement therein, said rod attached to said coupler for operation thereof upon rotation of said rod, a portion of said rod outwardly of said bracket being bent laterally in an ogee curve and downwardly to provide a depending handle, the portion of said curve adjacent said handle providing a hook portion engageable with said member to substantially prevent accidental rotae tion of said rod, said hook portion including an inclined surface arranged so that movement of said handle by an operator to operate the coupler raises said rod and disengages said hook portion from said member, whereby the weight of the rod tends to preventaccidental rotation of said rod.

2. A car coupler operating mechanism comprising a member fixed to the car, a guiding bracket fixed to the car, an operating rod mounted in said guiding bracket for rotating and vertical movement therein, said rod attached to said coupler for operationthereofupon rotation of said rod and provided with a depending handle, said handle provided with a hook portion engageable with said member to substantially prevent accidental rotation of said rod, said hook portion including an inclined surface arranged so that movement of said handle by an operator to operate the coupler raises said rod and disengages said hook portion from said member, said hook portion provided with another inclined surface adapted to engage said member upon return of said handle to substantially vertical position so as to raise said rod and, guide said hook portion into engagement with said member, whereby the weight of the rod tends to prevent accidental rotation of sa d- 3. operating rod for operating a car coupler upon rotation of said rod, said rod comprising a portion at one end adapted to be operatively con; neoted to said coupler, a portion adjacent the opposite end for rotatable support within a bracket, said rod being bent laterally and downwardly to provide a handle portion for rotating said rod, said lateral portion providing a hook portion adapted to engage a member fixed to. a car to substantially prevent accidental rotation of said rod. saidchook portion provided with an inclined suriace adapted to engage said member and raise said hook portion from engagement with said member movement of said han di to p r te t co er.

A structur as et forth n claim 3v whe e n sai handle is pr id d w th, n t er i cli d: we

face adapted to engage said member upon return of said handle to substantially vertical position so as to raise said rod and guide said hook portion into engagement with said member.

5. A structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said member supports the weight of said rod when said hook portion is engaged with said member and said bracket supports the weight of said rod during swinging movement of the handle to operate the coupler.

6, An operating rod for operating the look lifter of a car coupler upon rotation of said rod, said rod comprising a handle portion adjacent one end thereof for rotating said rod on its axis of rotation, a portion at the other end of said rod adapted to operate said lock lifter upon rotation of said rod, rod having a laterally disposed portion in substantially ogee form and adapted to engage and rest upon a car part extendable in the path of rotation of said laterally disposed porn o. ubs antially prevent a cident r ta oi said rod due to'ses ioe mo om nis'oi a a when sai laterally d sbossd rtion s restin u on s oar part.-

An erating rod for opera ng t e look lit e of a oar cou er upon rotat on of said rod aio o com ri i g a Jou nal Portion adap o be atab y support. bearing at ached to a n a ha dle P0, on adjacent on e d the f for ta i g sa d. rod. o its of o ion, a or on t the o her end of ai o d pt d to operate said lock lifter upon rotation of said rod, a rod b ing best to pro id a a era l di posed p r o ha ng a su sta tia y o ee shar de urface adapted. to ngag and s p a c p t estsndab s th oath o io of said la erally d s osed, portion to substantially p v nt acc den al. otat on o aid rod due o service moveme ts o a car w a d la ra ly spo ed ort on is es ing pon s car part- I an operati g rod r op ratin the l c l e of a car couple upon otati n f a d rod,v said rod being bent to provide a laterally disposed p r ion av ng a substan ial ose shape u d sur a e a ap ed to. hook o r nd s upon a ca par ex sndabls n th path. o ro t n f sai srauy disposed portion to substant ll pre en tal rota ion of sa d rod due t ser ice mov men s of a ar when said l te al y ispo isr ssiins in lined glob s ada ted. t hook over and. rest u n a ca par ex endin in. th pa h o r tation. of s d la eral d pos d p rtio to su ta t ally p v oidsntalrotation o sa rod due to service movementsof said oarwhen a d. l terall disposed ortion isrs ti s .up said car part. I

r J- TAN ERMAN- REFERENGES CITED The l w lls re e ences a e o r c d in the fil Of his patent; l V 

